Consumers purchase many electronic devices for their homes. One device might be a television. The television comes with a remote control, which has various functions, such as on off; channel up and down; volume up and down; and so on. The remote control communicates with the television via an infrared signal. Another electronic consumer device is a DVD player. The DVD player likewise comes with its own remote control with its own shape, button layout, button functions, and text and other characters on the remote. The same can be said for an audiovisual receiver, a cable box, and a game console. Some of these devices may be connected together. For example, the game console can output a video signal that is connected to the audiovisual receiver via S-video. The same can be said for the DVD player. Other methods of connecting devices can also be used. For example, a cable box may be connected to the audiovisual receiver using a High Definition Multimedia Interface (HDMI) cable. The net result of all of this is that the consumer must have anywhere from two to five or more remote controls, each one being needed to control its respective associated electronic consumer device (ECD). Not only does this make for a lot of clutter in the consumer's home, but it also is confusing to remember which remote goes with which device, and which of the many multitudes of possible choices on each remote the consumer is most interested in.
A more detailed example 20 is shown in FIG. 1. One remote 31, with its own unique button layout, is used to control a television 21. Another remote 32 is used to control an audiovisual receiver 22. Another remote 34 is used to control a game console 24, and another remote 36 is used to control a cable box 26. Lastly, another remote 38 is used to control a DVD player 28. Each remote has its own unique button layout, as illustrated schematically in FIG. 1.